While Speedball inks are a bit expensive, as a printmaker I love oil based ink and the feel and durability as opposed to water based inks. Plus, in looking online, the high end water based inks aren't cheap either.

This ink is consistently smooth, easy to spread to proper viscosity and prints a solid black image. Easy clean up with any oil product solvent. Dries in a few days and retains a vibrant contrast . I prefer this product to water based inks and hope it remains available for as long as I'm interested in making prints.

I am using this ink to print found objects and it is working great so far. Paired with Gamblin solvent it is easy clean up. I let it sit for hours before cleaning it off of my blocks and it still cleaned off like it was just used. The only draw back is that I wish I came in a jar instead of a tube for easier access.

Since I can't really compare this to other oil based products because I haven't used any of the others in so many years, I couldn't give this product a 5 star rating. However, with this product, I get the intense colors and good coverage I'm after that I do not get with the water based inks. I also am not forced to seal my wood blocks prior to applying the inks as I did with some of the water based inks so it saves me time in addition to giving me a better quality print.

Clean up isn't bad since I keep my workspace and tools organized. I use a minimal amount of a non-toxic turpentine substitute and then a final wipe down with soapy water. Everything comes out great.

I have had inks dry out on me but they were old and not in the new plastic tubes. As long as these inks are available, I will continue to use them.

I prefer oil-based inks for my lino cuts. I've used speedball inks for years, they don't fade. For people more familiar with water soluble products, they have a longer drying time and can be a bit messy. I use pink soap to clean up my workspace and materials after.

I had a terrible experience with the Speedball oil-based block printing ink. There were dry patches throughout the tube, wreaking havoc with my block. When I changed tubes, I got a very lengthy (1/4 tube) blob of partially dried ink that came out (I mean, I had to PULL IT OUT) of the tube to get to the still liquid ink at the bottom of the tube. These were new tubes!!! New to me, anyway - not sure how long they were on the shelf. For the ink I was able to use, it is taking FOREVER to dry to the point of not smudging...

The price of this product compared to similar, competitive alternatives is:

Average

Bottom LineNo, I would not recommend this to a friend

Merchant response: We apologize, it sounds as though you have received defective product. At Blick we attempt to send out every order free from defect or damage. However, these types of issues do arise occasionally. Customers who receive defective or damaged items should contact our Customer Service department via email or by calling (800) 723-2787 and we will work with you to rectify the situation.

Learn basic block printing techniques using various Speedball materials. This video includes information on traditional linoleum block, Speedy Carve Block and other easy to use products for the beginner to advanced artist.